Pumpkin Muffins

The fall harvest was in full swing at the farmers’ market this weekend. A pumpkin patch was one of the main draws and toddlers were walking around picking out their jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.   I didn’t pick one up at the time, but as I was walking home later in the day, I decided that I needed to make some pumpkin muffins from scratch. I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed the last sugar pumpkin they had and a few supplies.

Roasting the Pumpkin
To roast a pumpkin, you can either:
1) cut it in half, place on a rimmed baking sheet with the flesh side down, cover with aluminum foil and roast at 400º for about an hour, or…
2) coat the whole pumpkin with a little bit of olive oil, place on a baking sheet, and roast it whole for 1-1 1/2 hours (or until a knife slides through the flesh easily) at 400°. 

I chose technique number 2 because it’s easy on my arms and my knife. For both techniques, you have to let the pumpkin cool for about 20 minutes before scooping out the seeds and stringy bits (save the seeds if you want to roast them), and then the flesh. You can then puree the pumpkin using a food processor or with a potato masher. 

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 1 dozen
-1 cup pureed pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)
-1/2 cup golden raisins
-1/3 cup oil
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. ground clove
-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. baking soda 
- 1 1/2 cups flour 
-1/2 tsp. salt 

1) Preheat oven to 350°

2) Mix the pumpkin, sugars, oil, eggs, and spices in a large bowl until smooth. 

3) Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a smaller bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture in three parts.

4) Place liners in the muffin tin, or coat lightly with oil. Fill each cup just above 3/4. Top with a sprinkling of sugar and a dash of cinnamon. If you want a crunchy topping, add a few pumpkin seeds as well. 

5) Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a wooden stick poked in the center comes out clean.